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For those hoping to come away from Monday night with a clear picture of the new Raw and SmackDown Live rosters following a post-WrestleMania 33 talent swap between the WWE’s top brands, it was Braun Strowman who had a different kind of “superstar shakeup” in mind.

Check out the entire Raw half of WWE’s shakeup, including 11 new superstars and another championship added to Monday night.

The giant Strowman made sure the headlines coming out of Raw were centered upon his name alone by brutality attacking Roman Reigns in a backstage segment so violent and thrilling that it felt like a throwback to days of old.  How thrilling? It ended with Strowman flipping over a damn ambulance. 

Strowman regained just about all of the heat and momentum that had dissipated after losing clean to Reigns at Fastlane and stepping aside for Reigns to take on The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33. He also reestablished the notion that he’s ready for the main event level.

By perfectly nailing the role of unrepentant heel during multiple return attacks on an already beaten Reigns, Strowman also helped facilitate Reigns’ complete turn back to babyface after some legit heel teases in recent weeks.  (That doesn’t mean the fans are going to play along, of course, as chants of “Thank you, Strowman” and “Hey hey, goodbye” were audible as Reigns was being loaded in an ambulance.)

Strowman just might be the strongest superstar in the locker room, and although Monday’s segments relied on creative camera shots to put over the full impact of the damage, he simply couldn’t have asked for better piece of booking against the company’s best-pushed superstar.  

On a Raw when many big names from SmackDown made their return to the flagship brand, it was Strowman who left us wanting more.

WWE Raw results

In the ring -- The Miz & Maryse, Dean Ambrose: Entering to John Cena’s entrance music and reprising their dress-up parody of Cena and Nikki Bella, Miz and Maryse hit the ring first. Ambrose soon interrupted, with the intercontinental title in hand, and played along with the joke, addressing Miz as Cena. After an annoyed Miz and Maryse revealed their true identity, Ambrose delivered a Dirty Deeds on Miz to a big pop from the crowd.

Backstage -- Sami Zayn, The Miz and Kurt Angle: Zayn interrupted Angle, the new general manager, to ask where his future lies with the superstar shakeup. Angle says there is heavy interest from SmackDown. Miz interrupted to complain about Ambrose, and an argument between Zayn and Miz ensued. Angle booked a match for later tonight.  

The news of Ambrose and Miz moving to Raw was only improved by the backstage reveal that they won’t be feuding with each other. The repeated false flag of a Cena return has lost its charm and makes little sense considering The Miz lost to him at WrestleMania and has nothing to brag about. It’s starting to feel like WWE’s attempt to divert attention away from reality that Cena isn’t expected back anytime soon due to television projects.  

The Revival def. The New Day via pinfall: Kofi Kingston was out with an ankle injury caused by Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder last week. The Revival spurned the revenge-minded Xavier Woods and Big E. A slightly bungled finish was still effective as Woods’ leap off the top rope was intercepted with The Revival catching him in their Shatter Machine finisher.

Two weeks on Raw and two strong pushes for The Revival. They may not have the size, but Dash and Dawson have the potential to be the Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson of the new generation thanks to their chemistry and vicious style.  

Confrontation -- Curt Hawkins and The Big Show: Hawkins announced in the ring that he was joining Raw as “the greatest get since the Louisiana Purchase.” Big Show crashed the party and knocked him cold with one punch.  

TJ Perkins def. Austin Aries via pinfall: After Neville attempted to recruit TJP to the darkside backstage, reminding him just how much of an afterthought he has been since losing the WWE cruiserweight title, the full heel turn followed shortly after. Neville’s distraction helped Perkins use a small package to pin Aries. After the match, TJP attacked Aries and landed his Detonation Kick finisher. 

Considering how bland and poorly received his character has been since the Cruiserweight Classic (despite consistently strong matches), the decision to turn TJP heel was well-timed and handled. A heel stable with Neville as its Raven-esque cult leader wouldn’t be the worst idea for 205 Live.  

In the ring -- Seth Rollins and Kurt Angle: Rollins delivered a babyface speech thanking fans for supporting him throughout his injuries and said he wants to stay on Raw. After showing video of his WrestleMania match, which ended with Raw commissioner Stephanie McMahon going through a ringside table, Rollins threatened that she will need an army to remove him. Angle came out to back him up, saying, “Stephanie is entitled to her own opinion, but as long as I am GM, you have a home on Monday Night Raw. Oh, it’s true, it’s damn true.” Samoa Joe then attacked Rollins from behind and a brief brawl ensued.

Nia Jax def. Charlotte via pinfall: Jax physically dominated Flair throughout most of the match, including accidentally dropping her on her head following a shoulder breaker. Jax fought off a Charlotte rally by kicking out of a Natural Selection finisher. Late in the match, a breathtaking moonsault from the top rope and onto the floor by Flair was nearly botched as Jax was kicked in the head and Flair fell face first. In the end, Jax threw Flair into the bottom turnbuckle and hit a Samoan Drop for the pin. 

Jax’s victory was booked in believable fashion which makes sense considering she’s the only woman on the roster capable of throwing Flair around.  

Finn Balor def. Jinder Mahal via pinfall: Brief showcase for Balor in his first singles match on Raw since last August. Balor survived a legitimately stiff forearm to the chin from Mahal early (it left red marks on his face) before landing his Coup de Grace to pin him.

On the TitanTron -- Bray Wyatt: With Balor watching, Wyatt announced on the big screen that Raw is his new home. After teasing his “House of Horrors” match in three weeks against Randy Orton, which will be contested for SmackDown’s WWE title at the Raw Payback pay-per-view, Wyatt told Balor to watch himself “because I will certainly be watching you.”

Sami Zayn def. The Miz via pinfall: Zayn was forced to fight off constant interference by Maryse in a high-energy match that was well-received by the crowd. After Zayn scored a near fall following a Blue Thunder Bomb, he broke free from Maryse’s attempt to hold his leg and reversed The Miz into a creative pin for the victory.  

Wyatt’s move to Raw has the potential for the biggest impact thus far. The tease toward an eventual feud with Balor is exciting, as is imagining Balor’s “Demon King” character one day aligning with Wyatt.  

Backstage -- Braun Strowman attacks Roman Reigns: Strowman broke up a backstage interview by throwing Reigns into a brick wall before sending him airborne with ease through a catering table. Following continued beatings, which included a running powerslam onto a road case, Reigns was loaded onto a stretcher by paramedics. Strowman suddenly returned to flip Reigns and the stretcher off a loading dock. After medical personnel loaded Reigns into an ambulance, Strowman returned again, yelling, “I’m not finished with you!” He then flipped the entire ambulance over by hand.  

An incredibly powerful and well-shot segment that continued to escalate with an old-school feel. 

The Hardy Boyz and Sheamus & Cesaro def. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson and The Shining Stars via pinfall: After being seen walking through the crowd earlier with guitar in hand, NXT superstar “The Drifter” Elias Sampson lingered near the announce table. Inside the ring, Matt and Jeff Hardy used a late hot tag to turn the match around. A Tope Con Hilo from Jeff set the stage for his Swanton Bomb finisher onto Primo. 

In the ring -- Bayley, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss, Mickie James and Nia Jax: Banks set the stage for a possible heel turn by announcing the Raw women’s champion to the ring as “just Bayley” and appearing ready to challenge her for the title until she was interrupted by Bliss and then James. After both SmackDown wrestlers announced their move to Raw, James was blindsided by Jax, who was the last women standing after cleaning house.  

While it’s still uncertain whether both Flair and Banks will stay on Raw by the end of Tuesday night, the women’s division on Mondays has been successfully restocked for the moment with some intriguing matchups to make. Booking Jax so strong will help ease whichever losses take place.

Dean Ambrose def. Kevin Owens by pinfall in a Champion vs. Champion Match: After multiple reversals and counters from both during the final sequence, Ambrose nailed a Dirty Deeds to pin Owens. Chris Jericho’s music immediately hit and he landed a Codebreaker on Owens to end the broadcast and tease their rematch in three weeks at WWE Payback.  Neither title was on the line in this showdown.

Slow-paced main event that took a long time to build momentum. While Ambrose’s clean win was certainly surprising, it capped a strong return for him on Raw and instantly established him as a viable threat to the universal championship.